Gavin Bashar UK Managing Director of Tunstall Healthcare
Gavin Bashar UK Managing Director of Tunstall Healthcare

Telemonitoring and response service Carecall has launched a competition to raise awareness amongst children about the importance of assistive technology in supporting the independence and safety of older and vulnerable people.

Launched in partnership with Tunstall Healthcare, a global telecare provider, the competition will see under-16s in the Stockport area submit their ideas for new technology that could help vulnerable people stay independent and at home for longer.

The ideas will be judged by technology-enabled care (TEC) experts before the chosen entries are put to a public vote with an award ceremony being held for the winner. The winner of the competition will receive a state-of-the-art Apple iPad donated by Tunstall.

Gavin Bashar, UK Managing Director of Tunstall Healthcare, commented: “Improving people’s lives is at the heart of what we do, and we’re really looking forward to seeing the creative ideas for new technology that the children of Stockport come up with.

“Assistive technology plays a huge role in supporting older and vulnerable people to live safely and independently for as long as possible, and initiatives such as this competition will certainly assist in awareness of the benefits of this technology amongst our younger generations.”

Entries can be submitted in multiple formats, including drawing, painting, and writing, and any idea is welcome, for example, a flying saucer that helps deliver drinks so people aren’t dehydrated, or apps that track movement and feed information back to families.

Launched as part of Stockport’s summer art trail, which sees multi-coloured frogs pop up across the local area, the competition will run until the last day of the frog trail on 26 September.

Once the winner has been selected, Carecall and Tunstall will investigate how the idea could be made into reality, meaning someone’s idea could change the people of Stockport’s lives forever.

Jenny Osbourne MBE, Chair of Stockport Homes Group, the company that runs the Carecall service, said: “The Carecall team are dedicated to helping the people of Stockport live well at home and we hope that through this competition, we can inspire the next generation of children and their families to consider what new innovations will allow the people we care about to stay independent.”

Carecall is a Stockport Council service that launched in the 1980s and is delivered by Stockport homes. It is a pioneering emergency response service for the frail, elderly and vulnerable.

Using cutting-edge innovations like floor pressure alarm sensors, the award-winning company connects clients to a call handler should they need urgent support, or drives out to help people get back on their feet.

Over the past year, Carecall has answered thousands of alarms, reduced the strain on emergency services, and kept residents in their own homes as opposed to care homes.

Tunstall Healthcare has pioneered the use of technology to help people with health and care needs to live more safely and independently. It works closely with Carecall to ensure the people it supports have the right solutions in place to help them live life to the full.

To enter the competition, click here

More awareness is being drummed around the benefits of assistive technologies, as the NHS, housing providers and local authorities realise the time and cost savings these different devices can present in helping people live independently.

This drive has been catapulted during the COVID-19 pandemic, where social distancing became a legal requirement and new technologies were needed to ensure people could remain safe in their own homes, without face-to-face contact where possible.

Currently, Serco, Lincolnshire County Council and the University of Lincoln are exploring how modern and cost-effective assistive technology can be used to improve independent living for vulnerable adults.

Entitled ‘Social Care Technology Innovation for the Citizens of Lincolnshire,’ the partnership’s initial research began in June and over the coming five months will carefully examine how modern, mainstream technology can be applied in innovative and non-intrusive ways to assist people’s social needs.

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